BUKIT MERTAJAM: All employers have been told not to fear the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act 2022 (OSHA), which was recently put into force.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said the law was put in place to ensure workplace safety and not to punish anyone.
He said he was aware there were employers who were worried about its implementation, especially with the 10-fold increase in penalty.
"I want to stress that our focus is not to punish anyone but rather to ensure workplace safety.
"In this respect, the ministry, through the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), also provides free services to companies and employers to help them to assess the safety of their workplaces, whether they adhere to the needs of the amended OSHA.
"If there is a gap, we will provide the necessary advice.
"So, I urge all employers with issues to come to the ministry or NIOSH for the Workplace Improvement Needs Analysis (WINA)."
When speaking to reporters here today, he added that although OSHA had been approved for two years, its implementation had been postponed until June this year.
Sim was here to launch the NIOSH programme and presentation of ISO certification.
Following the implementation, employers had expressed concerns that the tenfold increase in the maximum penalty for violations under the OSHA and the Factories and Machinery Act (Repeal 1967) might be excessively burdensome for small businesses.
They called for a more balanced approach to ensure a safe work environment for employers.
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) had said while the amendment of OSHA was timely, the maximum penalty of RM500,000 is excessively high and should be reconsidered.
The OSHA, which was restricted to only 10 economy sectors previously, is now implemented across the board except for several sectors.
At today's event, Sim also presented the ISO certification from NIOSH Certification Sdn Bhd (NIOSHCert) to Penang Port Sdn Bhd and Universiti Sains Malaysia.
He said both important institutions had gone over and above what were needed to achieve the high standards.
He also launched three NIOSH Safety Passports involving Jabil Safety Passport (NJSP), NIOSH AT&S Safety Passport (NATSP) and NIOSH Ibiden Safety Passport (NISP).
"I urge more institutions and companies to emulate the above to strive for greater excellence," he added.